Dress-stand.



E. .l'; kESsELs. DRESS STAND unted Ian. 29, l90l.

[Application fllad Apr. 9, 1900.)

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES ERNEST JOSEPH KESSELS, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

DRESS-STAND.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent N 0.666,809, dated January 29,1901.

Application filed April 9, 1900. Serial No. 12,193. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ERNEST JosEPH KES- SELs, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at London, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in Dress- Stands, (for which I have applied for a patent in Great Britain, No. 21,299, dated October 25, 1899,) of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to dress-stands, and has for its object to so construct them that they can be folded so as to occupy small space when packed for transport or storage.

According to my invention I provide a frame having the outline of the body of a human figure when viewed from the side, to which frame are hinged curved wires forming ribs of such dimensions and curves that when extended from the sides of the said bars at right angles thereto they form a dress-stand. When not required for use, the said ribs can be turned so as to lie along the frame in order to occupy a much smaller space. The frame conveniently comprises two bars of the required shape held apart at the ends by wires having eyes to engage the usual supportingrod for the stand. The ribs are connected together by chains or the like, so that when extended they are kept at the proper distance apart, the ribs at one end of the stand being prevented from moving beyond their extended position by stays hinged thereto at one end and at the other end to the frame, the whole of the ribs being maintained in the extended position by stays hinged to the frame and engaged with loops or the like on the ribs at the other end of the stand.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figures 1 and 2 are respectively a front view and a side view of a dress-stand constructed according to my invention. Fig. 3 is a simi lar view to Fig. 2, but with the ribs folded onto the frame. Fig. 4 is a plan of a detail. Fig. 5 is a front view, to a larger scale, of one end of one of the bars of the frame of the stand. Fig. 6 is a section on the line w a}, Fig. 5.

a b are the front and back bars of the frame of the stand, and c the curved ribs hinged thereto. The said bars are each conveniently constructed of two pieces of sheet metal bent to a trough shape, as shown in Fig. 6, and

one inserted within the other and provided with caps 61 at the ends, the whole being soldered together. By this construction I produce a cheap rigid bar with a minimum of weight. The ribs 0 are hinged by bending their ends and engaging them with holes 6 in the bars a b, the said holes being elongated, so as to receive the ends of two ribs, as shown in Fig. 1.

f represents the wires at the ends of the bars a b and having the eyes g, which serve to engage the usual supporting-rod. The ends of the wires f pass into holes in one side of the bars a. b and bear against the opposite sides, and thus hold the said bars at the proper distance apart, the ribs 0 serving to prevent the bars moving farther apart.

It i are the chains or the like for holding the ribs at the proper distance apart when extended, as in Fig. 1, and j represents the stays for preventing the ribs from moving beyond the extended position, the said stays being hinged at one end to the ribs 0 at the top of the stand and at the other end to wires k on the said bars.

Z represents the stays for holding the whole of the ribs in position when extended,as shown in Fig. 1, the said stays being hinged at one end to the bars a, b and engaged with or sprung into loops m on the lowest ribs. By this construction it will be seen that when the stays l are disengaged from the loops m the whole of the ribs 0, together with the said stays, can be turned upon their hinges, so as to lie against the bars a b, as indicated in Fig. 3, the stays j sliding on the wires k. The wires fcan also be turned so that the eyes g are in the same plane as the bars a b, as shown in Fig. 3.

n n are curved wires each pivoted at their ends to one ofthe ribs and held in position by a loop 0, Fig. 4:, on the rib above, these wires indicating where to join the sleeves to the bodice of a dress. These wires are connected to the rib above by the loops'o to allow relative movement between the said ribs when turned into the position indicated in in Fig. 3.

It will be noticed in Fig. 1 that the ribs 0 from the lower part of the stand to the waist portion and from those carrying the loops 0 to the upper ones get gradually smaller radially from their hinges, so that their chains it do not impede their being folded against the bars a b; but the ribs intermediate of these-that is to say, from the waist to those carrying the loops o-gradually get larger radially, so that when folded their central portions get farther apart than when in the extended position. This construction therefore necessitates the use of chains or the like, which must be moved upon these ribs, so that the latter can be placed in the extended and folded positions, and in order that it can be done automatically I employ wires 0, hinged at one end to the bars a b and at the other end engaging the ribs carrying the loops 0 and connected to one end of the chains '6, the other ends of which are attached to the ribs at the Waist portion, while intermediate links of the chains engage and slide. upon the intermediate ribs. By this construction when the said intermediate ribs are folded on the bars a b the wires 9 are caused to move along the ribs, carrying the loops 0, and at the same time move the chains along the said intermediate ribs.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a dress-stand the combination of.

curved bars, wires connecting the ends of the bars and ribs hinged to the bars substantially as described.

2. In a dress stand, the combination of curved bars, wires connecting the ends of the bars and ribs hinged to the bars, the said bars comprising trough-shaped pieces of metal, one of which is inserted within the other, and

end caps all soldered together substantially as described.

bars, ribs hinged to the bars and means for holding the ribsat the required distance apart when turned to a position at right angles to the bars substantially as described.

5. In a dress stand the combination of curved bars, wires connecting the ends of the bars, ribs hinged to the bars, means for holding the ribs at the required distance apart when turned to a position at right angles to the bars curved Wires'pivoted to some of the ribs and loops on other ribs for embracing the said curved wires substantially as de= scribed.

6. In a dress stand the combination of curved bars, wires connecting the ends of the bars, ribs hinged to the bars, chains for holding the ribs at the required distance apart when turned to a position at right angles to the bars, stays pivoted to the bars and engaging the ribs at one end of the stand and stays pivoted to the bars and serving to engage the' ribs at the other end of the stand substantially as described.

7. In a dress stand the combination of curved bars, wires connecting the ends of the bars, ribs hinged to the bars, chains for holding the ribs at the required distance apart when turned to a position at right angles to the bars and means for moving some of the chains when the ribs are moved on their hinges, substantially as described.

8. In a dress-stand the combination of curved bars, wires connecting the ends of the bars, ribs hinged to the bars, chains for bolding the ribs at the required distance apart when turned to a position at right angles to the bars and wires for .moving some of the chains when the ribs are moved on their hinges substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two witnesses.

ERNEST J OSEPII KESSELS. Witnesses:

EDITH MAUDE KESSELS, CHARLES GORDON. 

